Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-10-26

were in the halls of legislation by day. Oh,
the tragedies of the faro table l know
persons who began with slight stake in q
lady's parlor and ended with the suicide
pistol at Monte Carlo. They played with
| square pieces of bone with black marks on
| them, not knowing that satan was playing
for their bones at the same time, and was
sure to sweep all the stakes off on his side
Of the table. The last New York Legisla-
ture sanctioned the mighty evil last spring
by passing law for its defence at the race
track, and many young men in these cities
lost all their wages at Coney Island this
the money tills of their employers or ar
ranging by means of false entry to adjust
their demoralized finances. Every man
who voted for the Ives Pool bill has on his
hands and forehead the blood Of these
souls.
But in this connection some young con-
verts say to me: Sis it right to play cards9
Is there any harm in game of whist or
euchre?" Well. know good men who
play whist, and euehre, and other styles of
game without any wagers. I had q friend
who played cards with his wife and chill
dren, and then at the close said! "Come,
now, let us have prayers" will not Judge
other mems oonscienoes, hnt tell you that
cards are in my mind SO associated with the
temporal and eternal damnation of splendid
young men, that should no sooner say to
my family: .'Come, let US have a game of
cards." than / would go into menagerie
and say: "Come, let us have game of
rattlesnakes," or into a cemetery, and sit
ting down by marble slab, say to the
grave diggers: "Come. let US have game
Of skulls" Conscientious young ladies are
silently saying to me while speak: "Do
you think card playing will do us any
harm2" Perhaps not but how will you
feel if in the great day of eternity, when
we are asked to give an account of our in
fuence. some man shall say to you: 81
was introduced to games of chance in the
year 1887, in Brooklyn, at your house, and
I went on from that sport to something
more exciting, and went on down until
lost my business, and Lost my morals, and
lost my soul, and these chains that you sec
on my wrists and feet are the chains of a
gamester's doom, and am on my way to
gambler hell" Honey at the start, eternal
catastrophe at the last
Young man, buy no lottery tickets, pur-
chase no prize packages, bet on no baseball
games or yacht racing, have no faith in
luck, answer no mysterious circulars pro-
posing great income for small investment,
shoe away the buzzards that hover around
our hotels trying to entrap strangers. Go
out and make an honest living. Have God
on your side and be candidate for heaven.
Remember all the paths of sin are banked
with flowers at the start, and there are
plenty of helpful hands to fetch the gay
charger to your door and hold the stirrup
while you mount But further on the horse
plunges to the bit in slough inextricable.
The best honey is not like that which Jona-
than took on the end of the rod and brought
to his lip, but that which God puts on the
banquetipg table of Mercy, at which we are
all invited to sit.
When mar may sit at kings hsnquet,
why will he go down the steps and con-
tend for the grstle and bones of a hounds
kennel? "Sweeter than honey and the
says David, sis the truth of
God" with honey ont of the rock would
l have sa isfied thee," says God to the re-
creant. Here is honey gathered from the
blossoms of trees of life, and with rod
made out of the wood of the cross I dip it
up for all your souls.
For the want of space this week, we
were compelled to restrict the publication
of Mr. Talmage's sermon to such extracts
as we had room for